Ocean Waves
by kixtoby
Summary: Gabriella is an adventurious girl who hears the call of the sea. When she meets this mysterious guy in her class, she feels the same connection to him as to the ocean. He has a secret though, one that will test everything Gabriella knows.
1. Chapter 1

**Ocean Waves**

**Chapter One**

The Ocean is the most magical place on Earth. With the crystal blue water that sparkles when the sun hits is beyond amazing. The never ending life that lives under the thousands of gallons of water that creates these big spots of water is the most fascinating thing in my opinion. Growing up in California, right next to the beach, I always had this deep connection with the call of the sea. I've never feared the deep blue waters like some people have. Instead, I thrive to do whatever I can in the Pacific. Whether it just be swimming with some friends, or scuba-diving next to some great white sharks, I want to do it all.

"Ella, are you even listening to me?" Sharpay, my best friend, asked me.

"Yes, I am listening."

"Good. So long story short, I can go cliff diving with you."

"Well I would hope so, since we have been taking these classes for forever."

Sharpay is just as adventurous as me. I think that is why we are such good friends, she isn't afraid of anything, just like me. Our birthday is only one week apart, so after we both turned eighteen, we started taking cliff diving lessons. We go out for the first time next week, but for right now, we are still doing it in the pool down at the country club.

"Yeah, I know. I'm just glad we are almost done...I can't stand anyone in this class." Sharpay informed me,

"Ha ha, their not all bad," I tried to reason, even though I knew there was no way to change her mind about anyone or anything.

"Okay class, today we are working on our diving techniques. I will be giving you each a partner to tell you what you need to work on." Jenna, our teacher, told us. "Sharpay and Joy-"

"Oh joy, I get to be with Joy," Sharpay said to herself sarcasticly.

"-Steve and Sara, Jim and Mark, and Gabriella will be with Troy."

"Looks like someone gets to be with her fantasy guy," Sharpay mocked me.

"Shut up."

Troy is not my fantasy guy. I just had this really intense romance dream with him in it, and made the mistake of telling Sharpay. I mean, how can I like him, when I never even really talk to him. He is just the hottest guy in class, who is obviously interested in ocean adventures, like me. I would be a fool not to dream about him every now and then.

I made my way over to where he was standing with an uneasy feeling in my stomach. He really doesn't talk to anyone here. He is just so shy. In fact, I see the other men trying to talk to him, but he never seems interested in there conversations. "Hello," I say to him.

"Hello," he responds.

"So I guess we're helping each other on our diving techniques. I would be scared if I was you; I am a harsh critique."

"I'm not scared of you."

I scrunched my eye brows in confusion; doesn't this guy know how to take a joke?

"That's good to know." I walked over to the edge of the pool and turned to him, "I'll go first, if that's alright with you."

"Lady's first," he told me, holding out his arm in a 'go ahead' motion.

I gave him a small smile, and then turned to looked down at the water, which was twelve feet below us. I took a deep breath and ran the steps of cliff diving that we have been learning for the past month over and over in my head. I found my footing, got into the position, and dove.

I don't know which part of cliff diving is better: falling through the open air, or gliding under the cool water as you enter it. Or maybe it is just the rush and feeling that makes you love it. It gives you the same adrenalin rush you feel when you're at the top of the hill on the tallest roller coaster, only ten times better.

After diving into the pool, I swam under the water a took in every moment of the wetness making my hair silky, before re-surfacing.

"How was that?" I asked Troy.

"It was good," he called out. "But you hold you need to hold your arms more straight."

"What? I can't here you Troy. I am coming up." And I did.

"So what did you say? Perfect, right?" I asked.

"I was quite good," he agreed, "but you need to work on the way you position your arms."

"Excuse me? There was nothing wrong with the way I held my arms." I'm not a jerk, honestly. It just makes me mad when someone points out my flaws.

"You're right. There was nothing wrong with holding them that way for jumping here; but when you are jumping of a cliff into the ocean, it makes a difference on the way you hold them."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," he began, "If you hold them more circular, like you just did, you get more air."

"Whats wrong with that? I just happen to love getting the air caught in my arms."

"Understandable, but it causes you to move unpredictably."

"I'm pretty sure I moved straight to the water. No turning, or nothing."

"That's because there is no wind in a building."

I clinched my jaw. Okay, for being the shy guy, he sure is talking a lot. Which, in a way is nice. I mean, out of every one here, I am the one to get him to talk? But on the other hand, he is teaching me, about a sport I was so sure I knew everything about. Let me tell you, it sucks being proved wrong about something.

"So what are you saying?" I questioned, even though I knew what his point was.

"It can get very windy on a cliff over the ocean. And I would hate for it to turn you around and get you injured."

I couldn't help but smile at that. "Well that is sweet, but taking risks is what I am all about. So I will take the risk of getting all turned and twisted to feel more air when I fall."

"As you wish." He softly spoke. "Now, is it my turn?"

"Gentlemen second," I joke, giving him that same 'go ahead' motion he gave me. I watched as he just ran right ahead, not stopping to take a deep breath or get into position. He just leaped right of the edge and got into the form as he was falling toward the water. I watched closely, looking for any mistake he made, but it was perfect. I gulped as he surfaced, his biceps flexing as he reached to wipe the brown hair out of his face. He jumped out of the pool and I couldn't help but stare as he walked to the stairs.

"How was that?" He asked me when he reached the top step.

"I've seen better, and I've seen worst," I answered, making it seem like I totally wasn't inpressed.

"Good, thats exactly what I was going for." Oh, so he does undertand jokes. Unforunatly, him making a joke out what I just said, makes me mad. I don't even know why it makes me mad, it just does.

"Alright class, that is enough for today. We are going on our first cliff diving trip on Friday, so I want everyone to meet up with their partner sometime this week to go over diving skills one last time. See you guys on Rocky slope Friday. Class dismissed."

"I'll call you later...partner," Troy said to me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"Man that sucked," Sharpay vented to me.

"Hmm?" I responded.

"Gabriella, do you ever listen to me?"

"Oh...what?"

"I guess not."

I looked at her and sighed. "Sorry Sharpay, I just have a lot on my mind."

"Ooh, due tell."

"It's nothing big, just, Troy."

Sharpay gave me a confused look and asked, "What about Troy?"

"I don't know."

"Of course you do. Now you are going to tell me." Sharpay has this way with people. Instead of sucking up till she gets the facts, she demands them with a forceful, powerful voice, that sometimes comes across scary. Luckily for me, I am use to it.

"Never mind." Sharpay frowned at this.

"You suck, you know that?"

"Yep. Listen, I gotta go now, or the fokes will start to wonder where I am."

"Yeah, you would think at eighteen, they would give you a little more freedom," she joked.

"I know! Anyway, I'll chachup with you later."

"Alright, but I want all the juicy details about your thoughts on Troy."

"We'll see." We said are goodbyes then went are separate ways.

I live about two miles from the pool, so I normally just run back and forth to it. A girl needs her exercise, and I adore the feeling you get after you exercise. The way your blood gets pumping, the pain your muscles go through, and the gross sweating feeling. It's such a great feeling because you know all that pain and sweat will be helpful in the long run, because it's just great. But today I wanted to take my time getting home, I just had to figure out these feelings I was getting from that mysterious Troy. So I decided to walk. Walk and ponder these feelings.

Troy. I don't know where to start. He is twenty, exactly two years older then me. I had never met him until cliff diving lessons, but that totally made me more attracted to him. That's right, I'm not going to lie, I am attracted to Troy. Other then his incredible good looks and megga hot body, it's his sense of adventure that draws me to him. His personality...well I'm not so sure about that. He's just so...mysterious. One minute he acts so serious and uptight, but then he does a complete 180. He makes jokes, and almost even flirts with me. Not to mention how is is in the water. He's so graceful...so...perfect.

Now that I think about it, he's a really good swimmer. It's almost like he lives in the water, or grew up in it. I don't mean they way I grew up in the water; always swimming in my free time, and taking surfing lessons. I mean, I really think he grew up in the water. But that's not possible. There is no way. That would either make him a fish, or a merman, or any other type of sea creature that _doesn't exist._ I may love to do the extream, but it doesn't mean I believe in the extream. Ghost's, monsters, vampires...it's not real. I mean, do people really believe vampires sparkle? If anything it's burst into flames, but their not real, so I don't see why people argue about these things.

I made it to my house about an hour later. I know, two miles in an hour? Slow poke. But I needed the walk because it really helped me sort out these feelings. And those feelings you ask? It's nothing. Just a little crush on the hot older man. Every girl has one of those, and every girl deals with it.

_….525,000,600 minutes...how do you measure, measure a year? In daylights In-_

"Hello?" I asked in the phone. Yes, my ring tone is from Rent. Only my _favorite _musical ever!

"..."

"Hello?" I said again.

"..."

"Okay then, guess you have the wrong number." I hung up and put the phone down.

"Who was that?" Mark, my older brother (who is visiting for the week), asked me.

"Don't know, they didn't say anything."

"Weird. Anyway, how was practice? Jump off any real cliff's yet?"

"Nope, were still learning at the pool. But it's still fun."

"You know mom and dad hate this, right?"

"I know, but it's what I love, so I really don't care."

"Just be careful, okay?"

"Aww, look whose looking out for their little sis," I teased.

"Gabriella, I'm serious, okay. Mom and dad would freak if anything happened to you. You are their only girl."

"And your their only boy. They don't worry about you."

"I don't put myself in danger doing things I find fun."

"Your a firefighter. The only difference between are danger is you get paid for yours."

"Oh, right. Well I don't know...maybe it's because I help people by putting my life in danger, where as you just jump off cliff's and scuba dive and surf, and any and every other dangerous thing you could do in the ocean. I don't understand what it is about the water you love so much."

"I just have a connection with the ocean, okay? You like putting fires out, and I like doing all 'ocean' sports. No big deal."

"Just don't do anything stupid, okay?"

"Okay, I won't," I told him, with a small smile. Will I push the limit? Yes. Will I do anything to coast me my life? I don't know. Getting that adrenaline rush is like my drug. I can't help loving that feeling, and I won't stop just because my family are a bunch of big babies.

_….525,000,600 minutes.._

_ "_Excuse me," I said to my brother, and answered the phone. "Hello?"

"..."

"Wow, really?"

"..."

"Goodbye really annoying person." I hung up and threw my phone on the bed.

Maybe I should change my ring tone, because now I really want to watch Rent.


End file.
